Halloween Face Painting Ideas for Kids

Sometimes it seems as if you've barely managed to get all the back-to-school reorganisation out of the way before half-term comes calling... and with it Halloween! Suddenly, there are party invitations to reply to and trick-or-treating adventures to plan, plus those all important costumes to prepare – how will everything get done in time?! Here at Persil, we want your Halloween to be stress-free and full of fun and frightful laughter. Which is why we've posted ideas for simple Halloween costumes here.

Our top time-saving trick? Get face painting for Halloween! All you need to do is grab a box of face paints; follow instructions for one of our simple Halloween face painting designs below; add a few accessories, and Fester's your uncle – your Halloween kids costume is good to go!

Halloween Face Painting for Kids – Getting started

Face painting can be a bit of a daunting activity if you're doing it for the first time. So, if you want everything to go smoothly make sure you take all the right precautions: protect clothing to avoid stains (we’ve got some handy tips for removing paint stains here, if any accidents do happen); and make sure you test the paint on a small patch of your child’s skin before proceeding further, to check for possible allergic reactions. Avoid potential irritation by choosing products specifically designed for face painting. We also have more helpful first-time face painting tips here.

Face Painting Ideas for Halloween

Once you've got your face paints and brushes to hand, why not try out these Halloween face paint ideas?

Use a sponge or a large bristled brush to cover your child's face with a base coat of white.

Next, use a smaller paintbrush and black paint to add eye sockets and a triangular nose.

Then, get your child to close their mouth so that you can paint a row of vertical lines over the lips. This will give the illusion of a stitched mouth.

Finish the look by filling in the lips with black paint.

Bat Face

This is a great option if your kid really isn't into scary Halloween face paint as you can paint the wings whatever colour you like! But, for a traditional Halloween design, use black paint.

Use a thin brush to paint the outline of a bat around your child’s eyes (being careful not to get any paint in their eyes). The wings should start at the top of the forehead and finish on the cheeks (see picture above). The nose will be the bat’s body with the head at the top – don’t forget to add a pair of ears!

Then, simply fill in the bat outline with your chosen colour. You could also add a dab of glitter here and there to jazz up your design.

Wicked Witch

Use a sponge or a wide brush to paint your child's face green.

Next, use a brush and black paint to create thick, bushy eyebrows.

Then, paint the lips black.

Add grotesque warts, spots, or even a spider’s web with a thin brush and black paint to complete the terrifying look.

Once your little one is looking their scariest, why not let them make their own bubbling witch’s cauldron? It’s a great game for kids to play at Halloween, especially if you’re having a party!

Did you try out any of our simple Halloween face paint ideas? Let us know how you got on in a comment below.